Tiffany

Saturday, April 26, 2008

What's wrong with the world, mama People livin' like they ain't got no mamas I think the whole world addicted to the drama Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism But we still got terrorists here livin' In the USA, the big CIA The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK But if you only have love for your own race Then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah Madness is what you demonstrate And that's exactly how anger works and operates Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight Take control of your mind and meditate Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek Father, Father, Father help us Send some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love (Love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love The love, the love It just ain't the same, always unchanged New days are strange, is the world insane If love and peace is so strong Why are there pieces of love that don't belong Nations droppin' bombs Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin' in Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug If you never know truth then you never know love Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know) Where's the truth, y'all, come on (I don't know) Where's the love, y'all People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek Father, Father, Father help us Send some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin' Where is the love (Love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love (The love) Where is the love The love, the love I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder Most of us only care about money makin' Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction Wrong information always shown by the media Negative images is the main criteria Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity Whatever happened to the fairness in equality Instead in spreading love we spreading animosity Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' down There's no wonder why sometimes I'm feelin' under Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found People killin', people dyin' Children hurt and you hear them cryin' Can you practice what you preach And would you turn the other cheek Father, Father, Father help us Send some guidance from above 'Cause people got me, got me questionin'

Monday, April 21, 2008

Talking Point #10 - - Privilege, Power, and Difference: What Can We Do?By Allan Johnson

Premise:

change

discrimination

problems--solutions

responsibility

power

oppression

acknowledgment

difference

learning

listening

attitudes

solutions

Author's Argument:Johnson argues that there needs to be a change in our society where people become more aware of the problems that deal with privilege and power. We can change as long as we can be aware and take the responsibility that there needs to be changes made.

Evidence:

"Once we can see and talk about what's going on, we can analyze how it works as a system. We can identify point of leverage where change can begin" (126).

"...We need to clarify for ourselves how our choices matter and how they don't" (132).

"Listen to what is being said. Take it seriously. Assume for the time being that it's true, because given the power of paths of least resistance, it probably is. And then take the responsibility to do something about it" (140).

" Make noise, be seen" (144).

"Start where you are and work from there" (153).

"Taking responsibility doesn't have to involve guilt and blame, letting someone off the hook, or being on the hook yourself. It simply means acknowledging an obligation to make a contribution to finding a way out of the trouble we're all in and to finding constructive ways to act on that obligation" (153).

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:I already liked the piece that we read at the beginning semester about Johnson so this easily caught my attention. What I like about Johnson is he is very straight forward and real. I think his argument is correct, we need to become more aware and get other people aware so that we can solve the problem together, two is better than one. I like how he organizes his reading by myths and other subtitles, for example "Learn to Listen" because they capture my attention.

I also wanted to add (since this is our last blog) how much I enjoyed being in this class. FNED has opened my mind to the problems and solutions of our society and school systems. I know it will definitely help me become a better teacher and even a better person.

Argument:Orenstein argues that teachers and educators need to pay more attention to the hidden curriculum that is undermining girls' senses of self-worth and self-esteem because schools are a proving a position for the truth of what girls are taught about themselves.

Evidence:

"... The Gender Equality Education Act, which should be implemented in 1995 includes provisions for improved data gathering, for the development of teacher training programs, for programs to encourage girl sin math and science, and for programs to better meet the needs of girls of color."

2. "Curriculum should be both a window and a mirror for students , that they should be able to look into other's worlds, but also see the experiences of their own race, gender, and class reflected in what they learn."

" Feminist teaching is not about allowing a win/ lose situation to develop between boys and girls."

“My older brother had Ms. Logan,” she says. “And he said all she ever talked about was women, women, women. He didn’t like her.” I guess its because all the other teachers ignore women….”

"As the girls talk, I recall what a teacher at Weston once told me, that "boys perceive equality as a loss." Apparently, girls are uneasy with it, too. Even these girls, whose parents have placed them in this class in part because of Ms. Logan's sensitivity to gender issues, have already become used to taking up less space, to feeling less worthy of attention than boys."

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:I thought that this article was very interesting and easy to read because of the examples used. This article made me realize how much we are not used to being taught about females who have done many accomplishments throughout history. Until i read this I never really thought of making the curriculum in my classroom more female based, not making it the more dominant gender, but making it equal to the male gender. I think that it is crucial to have a classroom that recognizes gender equality and fairness for all.

Wise argues that racial preference has shaped our laws, molded our public policy, and aided in creating inequalities that we are still faced with living in todays privileged society.

Evidence:

1. "Ask a fish what water is and you'll get no answer. Even if fish were capable of speech, they would likely have no explanation for the element they swim in every minute of every day of their lives. Water simply is. Fish take it for granted" 1. This is a simple metaphor describing the way fish take water for granted as people take racial preference and culture for granted.

2. "We strike the pose of self-sufficiency while ignoring the advantages we have been afforded in every realm of activity: housing, education, etc... We ignore the fact that at almost every turn, our hard work has been met with access to an opportunity structure denied to millions of others. Privilege, to us, is like water to the fish: invisible precisely because we cannot imagine life without it" (2). Wise is saying that Americans take privilege for granted that we cannot even imagine what we would do without it, its almost like a lifestyle.

3."So long as these privileges remain firmly in place and the preferential treatment that flows from those privileges continues to work to the benefit of whites, all talk of ending affirmative action is not only premature but a slap in the face to those who have fought, and died, for equal opportunity" (3). In other words, privilege is only working for whites and its such a disgrace to any other colored person because people have fought and died for equal opportunity.

Comments/ Questions/ Points to Share:I really enjoyed reading this article because it was very easily understandable. The author uses many metaphors and other techniques to view the situation of racial preference and privilege. I also like how he uses many facts and quite a humorous or sarcastic approach. The author definitely gets the main idea across. I agree with what he argues also; white Americans are so privileged that they take it for granted.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Talking Point #7--"One More River to Cross"--Recognizing theReal Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies-- by Charles Lawrence

Premise:

Schooling

Brown vs. Board of Education

equality

segregation

laws

privilege

students

race

power

society

labeling

recognition

Southern-de jure/Northern-de facto

Argument:Lawrence argues that "the Supreme Court's reasoning in striking down an interdistrict desegregation order in Detroit was flawed in that it misunderstood the true nature of the institution of segregation." He believes that this case was unsuccessful because no one recognized the actual issues of racism and inequality in the United States.

Evidence:

"Segregation violates the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment not because there is no rational relationship between the classification and the purpose-it is a supremely rational system-but because its purpose is illegitimate" (282). Here he backs up his statements by using the protection of the fourteenth amendment -- All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

"If one views the Brown case narrowly, as a case intended to desegregate the nation's schools, history has proven it a clear failure" (281). Lawrence clearly states his arguement here, that Brown was not an unsuccessful case.

"Where does this analysis of what the court has chosen to ignore about segregation leave us with respect to our initial query concerning whether we have won or lost Brown and where we must proceed from here?" (286). Lawrence is implying that the Court refused to recognize the real nature of segregation thus making the elimination of segregation ineffective.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:This article was a little long for me (I don't really enjoy reading) but overall it wasn't too too bad. This article also reminded me of my Political Science class because next book we have to read is Brown vs. Board of Education. I agree what Lawrence is arguing because we still definitely see these segregation problems today. All we can do is "say the words" and try to fix the problems.

Author's Argument:Oakes argues that "less able" students are having fewer opportunities to learn so we must alter the tracking system so that all students can learn and have the same opportunities. Oakes thinks that their are many reasons why the tracking of students in schools is penal for students that are considered low-ability to average.

Evidence: 1. "One fact about tracking is unequivocal: Tracking Leads to substantial differences in the day-to-day learning experiences students have at school" (178).-- This immediately proves that tracking does not really work; students in higher groups have more access to richer schooling experiences rather then the low group or average groups.

2. "These differences in learning opportunities point to fundamental and ironic school inequities. Students who need more time to learn appear to get less; those who have the most difficulty learning seem to have fewer of the best teachers" (179).--Again this demonstrates the consequences of being considered a lower ability type of student. It is unfair that the people who need to most education get the least and are not able to get the better teachers.

3. “Compared to teachers in high-ability classes, they seem to be more concerned about getting students to follow directions, be on time, and sit quietly. Students in lower-ability classes more often feel excluded from class activities and tend to find their classmates unfriendly” (179).--This shows that students feel excluded or even invisible (Carlson) that maybe they may be in the wrong state of mind to want to learn.

4. "The kinds of changes likely to promote high-quality learning for all students in heterogeneous classrooms go far beyond mere fine tuning of correct practice. These changes also require fundamental changes in the structure of schooling and teachers' work" (181).--Oakes shows that these tracking problems will take a while to make correct and they require changes in the schools and teachers work.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:This article was a little bit confusing to me because there were a lot of points and arguments so I'm not sure if I found the correct one. Other than that, I believe in a learning environment where children will educate each other through positive interaction and modeling. It can be fostered through clear expectations, enforcing the expectations, and respecting one another. I like the idea of an inclusive classroom because students will not feel left out or labeled. Oakes points out some great ideas on how to organize your classroom (page 180). I also liked how she pointed out that the "rich get richer and poor get poorer" .. meaning those who are less fortunate in life and those with a lower ability in schools do not get the advantages or benefits as the rich or high ability.

About Me

Hey, my name is Tiffany and I am a freshman at RIC. I am majoring in Elementary Education and Special Education. I work at Stop and Shop. I like hanging out with my friends and going to my youth church, groundZero. I like listening to music, my favorite band is Angels and Airwaves. I like working with children and I hope to get a lot out of this class (FNED).